On the Google Commerce blog, Google announced today the launch of Google Offers in 5 new markets: Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Tampa. Additionally, on Twitter, they announced launch in Columbus. .ditto161659618886553600{background: #C0DEED url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_background_images/236384205/Twitter_Background.jpg) no-repeat;padding: 20px;} .ditto161659618886553600 ...

The two biggest powers on the Internet, Google and Facebook, are in a high-stakes battle to be your search engine.

FORTUNE -- It may be unfair to grade a work in progress, but in the case of a closely watched company like Google, it's inevitable. In the nine months that Larry Page has served as Google's CEO, he's shown a bold, decisive style that has won the company unexpected success in social, stirred up a number of controversies and earned Page himself a mix of praise and criticism.

Critics question whether Google's privacy changes will simplify settings or give users less control.

Wikipedia, Google, and Craigslist are leading today's Internet protest march by changing their home pages in defiance of the SOPA and Protect IP bills. Wikipedia and Craiglist have indeed gone through on threats to "go dark" (though there are workarounds; see below), while Google has gone with a much more understated black bar over its famous logo, and a link to a (sorta) explanation of what the ...

“Don’t be evil.” That’s Google’s unofficial motto, in case you didn’t know. In 2004, when the company went public, its founders even based the company code of conduct on the phrase, which has since become known as the “Don’t Be Evil’” manifesto. Read full article >>

Yesterday Google announced it would be “simplifying” its privacy policy so that all separate Google product accounts would be tied together for a single signup system. As expected, privacy advocates are outraged by the change and Google’s failure to allow users to opt-out. To Google’s credit, there are some issues here that needed to be fixed–but in the process, it could sacrificing user trust ...

Finding out information about emergencies in your area just got easier. Google announced today its new Public Alerts feature, which incorporates real-time emergency information with Google Maps. The service allows users to search their area, and discover any potential impending doom.

The search giant isn't getting nearly the share of the tablet market for its apps that it thought it would from Amazon.

The two biggest powers on the Internet, Google and Facebook, are in a high stakes battle to be your search engine.